1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a recording medium reproducing apparatus and a control method for a recording medium reproducing apparatus. Particularly, this invention relates to a recording medium reproducing apparatus having a housing section for housing plural recording media, and a control method for a recording medium reproducing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A recording medium reproducing apparatus which houses plural recording media so as to select and reproduce one of the housed recording media has been proposed. As the reproducing apparatus houses plural recording media, easy storage and editing of the recording media are realized.
The reproducing apparatus is exemplified by a disc reproducing apparatus which uses an optical disc having musical signals recorded thereon as a recording medium so as to reproduce this optical disc.
The disc reproducing apparatus has a disc housing section for housing plural optical discs. For example, 100 optical discs are housed in the disc housing section.
The disc reproducing apparatus has a mechanism for exchanging the optical discs housed in the disc housing section. Using this disc exchange mechanism, the disc reproducing apparatus is capable of continuously reproducing the plural optical discs housed in the disc housing section. For example, the disc exchange mechanism carries out disc exchange operation in accordance with a program inputted by a user.
In most cases, the continuous reproduction of plural optical discs by the disc exchange mechanism is carried out with respect to plural optical discs of the same category, such as, the same genre or the same singer, and therefore reflects the user's preference.
Some of the disc reproducing apparatuses have a memory for storing title information or the like of discs inputted by the user with respect to each of the optical discs housed in the disc housing section. The user manages the optical discs housed in the disc housing section on the basis of the title information of the discs stored in the memory, or information, such as, title and names of tunes, recorded on the discs themselves.
In the disc reproducing apparatus, the number of optical discs to be housed may be increased by enlarging the disc housing section. However, if the number of optical discs to be housed is increased, management by the disc reproducing apparatus or management by the user is complicated. For example, the user will be at a loss which housing position in the disc housing section to be used for housing the optical disc.
Although the optical discs housed in the disc housing section may be managed on the basis of the title information stored in the memory provided in the apparatus, as described above, the user must input the information by using an operating section of the apparatus or a remote controller, and such input operation is complicated and troublesome.
When an optical disc is to be newly housed in the disc housing section, it is troublesome for the user to find a suitable place in the disc housing section because of the relation with the discs already housed therein. For example, in the case where a new disc forms a set with the optical disc already housed in the disc housing section, in the case where a new disc will be reproduced continuously with the already housed disc with a high possibility, or in the case where information of the same genre as information recorded on the already housed disc is recorded on a new disc, it is desired that the new disc is housed near the already housed disc in consideration of arrangement. The "suitable place" in this case is such a place.
If an optical disc is randomly housed at a housing position in the disc housing section, it is difficult to manage the disc. Therefore, the housed disc must be taken out and reentered at a housing position in consideration of the relation with the other discs which are already housed in the disc housing section. This reentering operation is also troublesome to the user. If the optical disc is randomly housed in the disc housing section, the optical discs to be continuously reproduced might be housed apart from each other, and therefore, a long time is required for exchanging the discs.